Final Fantasy X-3 Gorgon's Gaze
by KJ's-The-Name
Summary: Vegnagun has been defeated, Tidus has returned, and it turns out Gippal and Rikku really *do* make quite the couple, but Spira's story hasn't quite ended yet. An expedition in Mount Gagazet goes wrong, and a terrifying monster gets unleashed; the Gullwings track it's rampage through Spira, but can they kill it for good? And what connection does it have to Tidus' return?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer; I don't own Final Fantasy X or X-2. If I did, there'd be a third game.**

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><p><strong><span>PROLOGUE<span>**

Besaid was unusually rainy, on the day that changed everything in Wakka's life. Not that Wakka's life hadn't already been changed; rebelling against Yu Yevon, marrying Lulu and having Vidina... his life, compared to that of two years ago, was completely different in every single way. For a man who once said he didn't like change, Wakka reveled in the differences.

However, this is just a very long, very roundabout way of saying; this single thing, that was on an unusually rainy day, changed _all_ of Wakka's life even more. Not a single thing, not a mere bump in the road, but rather a huge crack; separating the road, so a new path had to be built. But it had yet to be built – for the crack had yet to appear.

It was early morning, only a few unlucky souls awake, Wakka among them. Dark, gloomy clouds were overcast, and Wakka felt himself shiver whenever he looked at them. Lulu shivered too, though she covered it up as she kissed his cheek, Vidina snoozing in her arms.

"Be careful," She intoned, voice still thick with sleep. "I don't want you going near that storm."

But Wakka only laughed, soaking up the image of his young family. "I've faced worse than a few clouds, ya?" Privately, Wakka agreed.

The rain pelted down as he made his way to the beach, and Wakka tried to ignore the thunderous roars coming from the sky. It was never a good omen when there was rain on Besaid – in fact, it used to hail the approach of Sin. But now, two years since Sin's defeat, there had been no storms.

Wakka could only feel apprehension at the sight of the ocean, its waters were murky and lifeless, a stark contrast from the bright azure it usually was. The Aurochs were unhappily training by the dock, Beclam's spirit resolute despite the weather, and Wakka was glad that his purpose at the beach was purely business; fishing was no where near as much fun as blitz had been, but his family needed feeding, and any amount of tedious work was preferable to Beclam's beady glare.

There weren't many fish within the dark waters, there never was when it rained – another bad omen. Besaid was an island that thrived in sunlight, and it'd be a slow few days until the storm cleared up.

Wakka frowned, looking up from his fishing rod, as he head a whistling noise, soon followed by a dull '_thunk_' as a blitzball careened into the ocean, splashing wildly. There was a burst of laughter from the Aurochs, and a reprimand from Beclam; Wakka watched them with an amused smile, not forgetting his own years at captaining the once-hopeless team. He looked back on those years fondly, but Wakka had never missed them, for he loved his current life to much. But Wakka was still frowning.

The water around the blitzball was bubbling, swirling around in the bay, forming a small whirlpool. It spun and spun, swallowing up the ball. Wakka slowly stood, abandoning his rod, and wearily watched the ocean as the whirlpool slowly died, but the uneasy feeling in his gut had only grown, tenfold. He collected the modest basket of fish he'd collected and stood, soaked to the bone and completely unhappy, but Wakka had only moved a few paces away when the ball came pelting back; hitting Wakka squarely in the head.

It was only a few seconds later when Wakka first turned to see who'd kicked it, for at present he was openly gaping at nothing but open air. Wakka wasn't shocked at something he'd _seen_ but, in truth, what he'd _heard_. A long, piercing whistle had cut through the air, echoing across the cove, coming from directly behind Wakka. He faced the water in shock, and his eyes widened at what he finally saw.

A figure stood waist-high, treading water as they approached Wakka. Blond moppy hair obstructed their face, but the clothes they wore were easily recognisable – Wakka dropped his fishing basket to the sand.

Making his way towards the figure, Wakka caught them as they stumbled, and held them, pushing away the blond hair.

"It really is you!" Wakka exclaimed. "You're back, ya?"

Tidus stared at him, out of breath and blue eyes unusually dark. "I think so," He said, coughing slightly. "I... you look different."

Wakka gave a chuckle, mostly from disbelief. "You've been gone a long time, ya, we've all changed. You should see Lu."

"Yeah." Tidus frowned, then, and his gaze flitted away. "How long have I been gone?"

"Er... two years, man. Sorry." Wakka moved to catch Tidus suddenly, as the younger man fell. "Hey? Kiddo, you still wimme?"

But Tidus was fast asleep, dead to the world, and Wakka's attempts to wake him failed. "Hey!" The former-blitzer cried, looking over to where the Aurochs were watching. "Datto! Come help me with him!" The two managed to pull Tidus from the water between them, when Beclam approached. Wakka ignored him. "Letty, run ahead to the village and tell Lulu."

"Tell her what, Captai'? I thought he was dead." Letty replied. "Lady Yuna said he sacrificed himself against Sin."

"Then tell Lulu we were wrong," Wakka growled. "Now get going!"

Tidus' entire body drooped as Wakka and Datto began to carry him towards the village, but Beclam soon stopped them. "Where do you think you're taking him?"

"To the village, where else?"

Beclam glared. "You're going to take the complete stranger who randomly appeared in the ocean to the village? He could be anyone, anything."

"He's an old friend," Wakka defended himself. "And he always arrives like that – you'll get used to it." Ignoring Beclam's further protests, they carried Tidus through the island.

Lulu met them at the entrance to the village, now fully awake. "Wakka, is it- Letty only said he'd collapsed after arriving, but not much else."

"That's all there is to know," Wakka told her, groaning underneath the weight. "Is there somewhere to put him? He's gotten heavier."

"Or you're just weaker." She remarked, but nevertheless led him to a small tent near the temple. "Did he say anything, where's he been?"

Wakka took Tidus from Datto, letting the Auroch leave, then set Tidus down on a small cot inside. "Nah, he just asked how long he'd been gone." Wakka replied. "Then he just keeled over onto me, ya?"

Lulu leant over the bed, pressing a palm to Tidus' forehead. "He's not running a fever, and his pulse is normal. Tidus is just... dreaming."

"I thought he _was_ a dream." Wakka muttered. "Yuna's gonna go loco when she finds out. Who's tellin' her?"

Lulu shook her head, still watching the sleeping man. "More like 'how'; she was headed to the Farplane last we he- shh!" Lulu shushed him, despite being the only one talking, as Tidus began to mumble.

"Yuna... whistled... running..." He was silent again, before rolling over. "Alone..." Both Wakka and Lulu waited eagerly for him to continue, but Tidus only let out a long snore.

"Don't look at me, ya?" Wakka grinned. "S'good to have him back, though."

"Yes... however, it does leave a few questioned. Still, you're right. We should leave him." Lulu turned to leave, but paused when she saw Wakka's hesitance. "He isn't going to disappear again."

But, truthfully, Lulu didn't want to leave either.

Tidus himself continued to both snore and mumble, the loud brashness of one overshadowing the quietness of the other. "Must go... save her... love her... love Lenne..."

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><p><strong>Hi! This is only the prologue, so obviously it's short, but the next chapter is longer, and it'll be up soon, hopefully. I don't have a beta-reader, and trust me volunteers would be helpful, so any mistakes that I haven't caught, feel free to point out!<strong>

**I always want to improve my work, and I can only do that with reviews! I hope you enjoyed my work! (I also hope they're all in-character.)**


	2. First Sighting

**Disclaimer; I don't own either FFX or FFX-2. I do, however, hold them in my hand.**

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><p><strong>FIRST SIGHTING;<strong>

The Celsius was never a particularly small ship, neither a large one, but for the Gullwings, it'd always been the perfect fit.

Right now, however, Yuna felt cramped. Despite there only being three more people than usual on board, those certain three seemed to take up more room than all previous occupants combined. Leblanc and her goons, Logos and Ormi, were only 'visiting' until they'd fully recovered from the wounds caused by Vegnagun, but so far they'd complained about everything; from Calli's chocobo, Barkeep's food, Barkeep, and Yuna's personal favourite, Brother's dartboard. (The bullseye on the board was a crude drawing of the so-called 'Leblanc Syndicate', gleefully created by Shinra, but Brother was terrible at darts.) They also disliked the portrait of Cid on the cabin wall, though the only person on board who _actually_ liked it was Cid himself. (Rikku doesn't even know how it managed to get there, Brother blames it for his darts performance, Buddy generally ignores it, Shinra blows raspberries and Cid admires it.)

But, passing over that, Yuna now found the Celsius cramped, and had escaped to the deck, wind blowing refreshingly against her face. She had tried to find Rikku and Paine, but the former had been oddly elusive ever since Gippal had pulled her aside shortly before they'd reached Luca (Yuna had only heard short snippets of Al Bhed from the engine room), and the latter was talking to Nooj and Baralai using the Commspheres. Brother had offered to keep her company, but Buddy had easily distracted him with some odd sphere waves.

It was odd to think that, after saving the world for a second time, Yuna was still a sphere hunter. Still a Gullwing. Perhaps it was simply nostalgia, from the time after Sin had been defeated; her... position as a summoner had quickly changed, and Yuna had been left out in the cold, not wanting to be part of the temple, but having no other choice. But now... for some reason, Yuna felt as though she were waiting for the other foot to drop.

Maybe it hadn't sank in yet.

Or, more likely, the sight of Shuyin and Lenne reuniting had caused more unease than she was willing to admit. Because, well, Shuyin looked _so_ similar to T- to T- to _**him**_, that it was just plain unnerving to see him joyfully embrace another woman. Yuna wasn't a jealous woman by nature, there was simply a bad taste in her mouth from a single unanswered question; why did Shuyin look, sound, act, and even fight just like _**he**_ did? Bahamut hadn't explained anything, but Yuna didn't want to think of Bahamut, because whenever she _did_ think of him, she thought of their final goodbye in the Farplane; of hearing that whistle; of Bahamut's question; of "I can't make any promises"'; of "but we'll see what we can do".

Would they really do that? Bring back the man she loved out of gratitude for her actions? Could they? _**He**_ had been a dream of the Fayth, not even a spirit or an unsent, simply not existing at all. Is that what they'd bring back? A hollow illusion, just an echo of reality, something she couldn't even touch?

As if recognising her dark thoughts, a single raindrop fell from the heavens and rolled down Yuna's cheek. She wiped at it, only for another to take its place, and then another, and another, and soon enough it was raining heavily. With a surprised shriek, Yuna fell back to the small opening that led to the lift, and frowned. _Rain?_ She thought, _we're heading to Besaid. It never rains there._

Still frowning, she rode the lift down to the bridge (carefully avoiding Leblanc, Logos and Ormi in the cabin), and made her way over to Brother.

"What's going on?" She asked. "Are we heading somewhere else?"

"Nope," Buddy answered, instead. "We're still en-route to Besaid Island."

Brother shrugged. "We found a sphere somewhere odd... but you want Besaid, so Besaid we shall go."

"I do..." Yuna murmured, the strange rain fall slipping from her mind as the second part of his sentence reached her. "An odd sphere? Where is it?"

Brother didn't tell her, only sharing a furtive glance with Buddy. "Yuna..."

"Man, do you want me to ask?" Buddy said, shaking his head.

"No! No, I can." Brother jumped down from the pilot seat, and faced Yuna. "Er..."

"Brother, is something wrong?"

"Ruf tu E... Buddy, lyh fa ycg yhudran desa _(How do I... Buddy, can we ask another time)_?" Brother gestured wildly.

"Ed'c y cesbma xiacdeuh. Zicd ycg _(It's a simple question. Just ask)_!" Buddy sighed. "Oui ymnayto ghuf dra thcfan, yhofyo _(You already know the answer, anyway)_."

Yuna looked between the two, who continued to argue, and walked over to Shinra. "What does brother want to ask me?"

"Y mud uv drehk'c, E't esykeha _(A lot of things, I'd imagine)_. Specifically, he wants to know if you're leaving the Gullwing's now, like I am."

"Shinra!" Brother cried. "I was going to ask Yuna!"

"No, you weren't." Shinra coolly replied.

"He's right," said Buddy."

"Crid ib, pudr uv oui _(Shut up, both of you)_!" Brother snapped. With a slightly less manic expression, he approached Yuna. "Ah... we don't know if you want to stay with m- inyb – with the Gullwings, anymore, so... I thought I should ask _(Crap)_."

Yuna simply laughed in response. "Well, of course I'm staying! Where else would I go?"

"You... stay? Pnemmeyhd _(Brilliant)_!" His eyes now alight with happiness, Brother jumped back to his seat, and revved the engine. "Full speed to Besaid! Byndo! Byndo! _(Party! Party!)_"

Yuna giggled at him, then turned to Shinra again. "You're still leaving, then?"

"Yup," he told her. "In a few weeks. Need to get set up first."

"Well, I'm going to miss you. Loads." Yuna kissed the top of Shinra's head. "Did Paine leave?"

"Rikku needed help with something... girly." It took Shinra a few moments to reply, probably because of Yuna's kiss – he was at that odd age of girls having cooties, but also thinking that cooties were strangely attractive, as evidenced by his following shudder. "I didn't ask."

Yuna shook her head at him, and began to leave the bridge, she had almost completely forgotten about the odd weather on deck when Leblanc pushed past her, soaked to the bone, hair dripping, and a scowl that'd kill Yuna if she was a lesser woman, like Shelinda.

"What. Is. The. Meaning. Of. _THIS?!_" She screeched, storming up to an apprehensive Brother. "Is this some kind of joke to you?!"

"Yes." Brother replied.

In the wake of Leblanc's answering yell, Yuna noted Logos and Ormi entering the bridge in a similar state, and her gut hurt with the laughter she tried to hold in; but the giggles left her when she saw a perfectly dry Rikku and Paine follow.

"Yunie!" Rikku cried, rushing over. "Did you see them? It's so funny!"

Behind her, Paine chuckled softly. "She followed them, all just to watch."

"Lyms tufh, lnywea _(Calm down, crazy)_!" Brother yelled, arms flapping as he batted Leblanc away.

"I don't know what you said, but I'll assume it was insulting!" Leblanc replied, as she continued to hit him with her fan. "I simply wanted a nice piece of fresh air to help me recover, so that I can return to my Noojie-Woojie, and-" She took in a deep breath, as if trying to stop herself from crying. "And I ended up getting drenched!"

There was a low murmur from Buddy. "Fa lyh caa dryd _(We can see that)_."

"Er," Yuna hesitantly stepped forwards. "I actually wanted to mention that, but I... forgot."

"'Forgot'?" Logos repeated, from where he dripped onto the carpet. "How do you 'forget' something like _that_?"

"I've had a lot on!" Yuna defended. "A little storm isn't exactly high on my list of priorities."

"Yeah!" Rikku said, throwing her fist into the air. "We just saved the world! Again! Weather reports can wait!"

"We're nearing Besaid," Paine said, in a tone one would normally reserve for small children or Brother. "How could it be raining here?"

Rikku's hand fell from the air. "Just one day... that's all I want. One day, that's completely normal; no Leblanc, no odd weather, no unexpected decelerations of love... did I say that last one out loud?" At everyone's nods, Ormi was rather enthusiastic about his, Rikku let out a string of curses.

"Ahem!" Leblanc delicately turned the attention away from the Al Bhed girl. "I demand... an apology! From you!"

Brother snorted. "Dra uhmo drehk oui'mm pa kaddehk ec; kad uvv so creb _(The only thing you'll be getting is; get off my ship)_!"

"Fro't fa mad dras ur eh dra vencd bmyla _(Why'd we let them on in first place)_?" Rikku asked.

"Huha uv ouin picehacc, dryd'c fro, mujan kenm _(None of your business, that's why, lover girl)_." Brother told her, before walking to Leblanc. "We in Besaid soon... then, we take you to Guadosalam. Then you leave. Yes?"

Leblanc sniffed. "Very well."

"Dryhg Spira _(Thank Spira)_." Buddy muttered.

Yuna hummed happily, then poked Rikku in the arm. "So, 'decelerations of love', hm?"

"Oh no," Rikku whispered, moving away as Leblanc, Logos and Ormi stomped past, the smell of wet dog wafting behind them. "That... was just an expression."

"Hu ed fych'd _(No it wasn't)_." Brother said. "She likes him."

"Brother!" Rikku looked like she wanted nothing more than to smash his head in, but was stopped by Paine casually laying an arm across her shoulders. "You'll take my-"

"What did Gippal say?" Paine asked, instead.

Yuna gasped. "Gippal?"

"No!" Rikku moaned. "No!"

"Oac! Oac! _(Yes! Yes!)_" Brother said, gleefully.

"Shut up! Yd maycd ra ech'd so luicef _(At least he isn't my cousin)_!" Rikku grinned as Brother glared, and left them. "Take that!"

"Gippal?" Yuna repeated. Suddenly, Rikku's earlier elusiveness made sense, as did Gippal's. "You like Gippal?"

"No!" Rikku denied, even as a blush began to spread across her tanned cheeks. "He's an oaf! An arrogant, selfish, jerkish oaf!"

Paine snorted. "Oddly defensive there, Rikku, covering something up?"

"Something like a crush?" Yuna added on.

Rikku's blush covered her entire face, which was, really, the only answer she needed. "He's... just a friend."

"But..." Yuna persisted.

"He _does_ have a nice butt, that's true." Rikku considered, without thinking.

She winced as Yuna and Paine burst out laughing. "Apparently," Paine said. "Gippal's acting the same way."

"He is?" Rikku perked up suddenly. "Did he say anything?"

"It was Baralai who said anything, Nooj was just... Nooj." Paine smirked suddenly. "And I thought Gippal was 'just' a friend?"

"Oh, shush! What did he say?"

"Yeah, tell!"

Paine rolled her eyes at her friends antics, but told them anyway. "Baralai simply said that after their speech was finished, Nooj suggested that they start working on the new treaties, but _Gippal_ said he was waiting for a message. He slipped out your name before running off."

"He did?" Rikku smiled, and looked surprisingly lovesick. "That's... don't say anything!"

"Wait... Nooj and Baralai talked to Gippal about Rikku?" Yuna asked, snorting as a mental image flooded to her mind. "Somehow, I don't think their chat was much like ours."

"You'd be surprised; Nooj can be like a teenage girl sometimes with how much he loves gossip." Paine easily replied. "Baralai wanted to know why Gippal was waiting for a message from Rikku. I told him I'd ask."

"Well, I'm not going to say anything, be- wait. Why'd you tell Baralai that?" Rikku's expression suddenly turned mischievous. "Maybe I'm not the only one who wants more than friendship."

"So you admit it."

"Admit what?" Rikku asked, still oblivious. "I never admitted anything."

"You said; 'maybe I'm not the only one who wants more than friendship'." Yuna said, grinning. "That implies that, well, we were right about you and Gippal."

Rikku groaned. "Oh poopie."

As Rikku and Paine continued to argue, Yuna suddenly realised why she went up to the deck in the first place; not to escape, as she'd believed, but to simply savour the moment. Not the feeling of being cramped, or of waiting for _**him**_ to return... she wanted to look at the now, and reflect in it. To halt the flow of time for just a few seconds; to snapshot the victory of defeating Vegnagun, before everything changed again.

Because for the first time in Yuna's life, she didn't want change. Perhaps it was selfish of her, but Yuna liked her life right now. Would she like it in a month, or even a year? She couldn't be sure.

Suddenly, Yuna felt herself missing Tidus even more; his presence would make all of this so much easier. _But_, a voice whispered, _he'll be with you soon._

"Yunie!" Rikku's voice cut through, stopping the voice from saying anything else. "Protect me!"

Yuna looked over to Paine, who nodded slightly, and the two girls both pounced on Rikku; one grabbing her arms, whilst the other mercilessly tickled her.

"No!" Rikku cried. "No! Let me go! Stop it!"

"Hey!" Shinra interrupted, waiting for them to look at them until he continued. He was leaning over the back of his chair, watching them. "There's an emergency transmission from Besaid; I only just picked it up, because of the storm. It's causing interference, which isn't good."

"Besaid?" Yuna repeated, her hands pausing. Rikku took the distraction to escape, and Paine let her go. "We're almost there – what's the message?"

Shinra shrugged. "Ask him yourself; I'm just a kid."

"Him – Wakka!" Yuna cheered when she saw her former guardian, but frowned as she took in his appearance. "It's raining there, too?"

Wakka seemed to visibly bounce as he replied. "Started this morning, hasn't stopped since, ya?"

"That's... it only used to rain on Besaid when Sin approached," Yuna's frown only deepened. "What if – wait. You don't look worried."

Wakka shook his head, and bent down. "This thing portable?"

"Depends," Shinra answered, now focusing on Wakka himself. "The Commsphere is connected to a wider grid; moving one may take them all out of sync. Where do you wanna take it?" Shinra asked. Wakka gestured to the tent behind him, and Shinra nodded. "Put it back."

"Ya, ya, I will. Come here..." with a little grunt, Wakka heaved the Commsphere up, and began walking. "I almost wish I was there with you; just to see your face."

"Face?" Rikku asked, peering over Yuna's shoulder. "Ooh! Is it a present? A reward? For saving the world a second time? While you sat there and gained weight?"

Yuna could see Wakka's forming frown, and carefully spoke before he could. "What are you showing us?"

But it wasn't Wakka who replied.

"The reason for the storm, or so we think." It was Lulu, and a gurgling Vidina in her arms. "Have you told her?"

"Nah, not yet." Wakka answered, and the screen darkened as they entered the hut. "Thought it'd be best if she saw him with her own two eyes first, ya?"

"A wise choice," Lulu remarked.

But Yuna was only confused, now. How could a person – a single man, if Wakka was right – be responsible for the terrible storm that now raged in the sky? A lone butterfly began to flutter around in her stomach; this sounded oddly familiar. "Wakka, Lulu, who did you find?"

"Now, Yuna," The screen showed Wakka once more; from the position she was currently in, Yuna could count every single nose hair he had. "Don't freak out _too_ badly, ya?"

The butterfly was joined by several friends as the camera slowly panned down, dramatically focusing on pale white skin, braided hair, and a massive set of-

"Lulu!" Wakka complained. "You're ruining the view!"

Eyes. A massive set of red eyes, narrowed in anger. Lulu stepped aside, and the view changed. Now that Yuna could actually see, she found herself straining to make out the grainy picture out; whoever it was, they were lying asleep on the bed, spiky blond hair pushed back to reveal a tanned young face. His clothes were still damp, the bright yellow of his top a stark contrast to the black dungaree-like shorts he wore, on which one leg was emblazoned the sign of the Zanarkand Abes. His feet were propped up on the end of the bed, yellow boots that shined brightly.

The last time Yuna had seen those boots was over two years ago; running out to grab him, only to fall face-first into the floor. He'd let out a quiet sob, grief and shock mixing together, when she whispered the words that only he head. The last words she'd ever said to him; the last ones she'd ever heard.

_I lo-_

"Yunie!" Rikku shrieked, hurting Yuna's eardrums. "Yunie, Yunie, Yunie! It's him! It's-"

"Tidus." Yuna chocked out. Tears swam into her eyes, and down onto her cheeks, but she hardly cared. Instead, she jumped up and ran from the bridge, and was in the lift within seconds. A bouncing Rikku and a terribly confused Paine followed, but none of _that_ mattered.

He was back.

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><p>Wakka allowed himself a smug grin as he set the Commsphere down, gaze settling on Lulu. "I think she missed him."<p>

Lulu chuckled. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

"I noticed a few things," Wakka made his way over to his wife. "This must be a miracle or something. A reward for Yuna."

"Yuna..." Tidus echoed. "You... I..."

"D'ya think he recognised her voice?" Wakka asked, voice low.

Lulu shrugged, opening her mouth to reply – when Tidus shot up.

Panting heavily, his azure eyes flickered wildly around the room, before settling on Wakka and Lulu. "Er... hi."

"Hi to you, too." Wakka snorted. "You had us all worried when you collapsed on me, ya? You okay?"

"Is that a trick question?" Tidus asked, swinging his feet to the ground. "I... I thought I heard..."

"Yuna," Lulu said, walking forwards. She smiled when he looked at her, eyes widening at the name. "And you did. Wakka was showing her that you were here over the comm."

"Comm?" Tidus questioned. He was going to continue, but then saw the baby in Lulu's arms. "Woah. Is he?"

Wakka proudly nodded. "Six weeks old, as of yesterday."

"Woah," Tidus repeated. "When you said two years, you weren't joking, huh?" Slowly standing, he rolled his shoulder blades. "What's his name?"

"Vidina," Lulu said. "Wakka chose it."

"You did?" Tidus asked, in surprise. "But... that's an Al Bhed name; Vidina means 'future'.""

Wakka shrugged. "Perfect name for a perfect baby, ya?"

"Yeah, congrats!" Tidus thumped the older man on the arm, and smiled across to Lulu. "I mean it – you two are gonna be brilliant parents. And, you already are." The couple beamed at his words, but Tidus wasn't finished speaking. "So, Yuna knows I'm here?"

"Wakka and I thought it best she knew as soon as possible." Lulu gestured to the Commsphere. "Which is relatively easy when you've got instant communication with them."

"Right." Tidus looked to the tent door. "How long d'you think it'll take her to get here from... wherever she is?"

"Eh, not long. Yuna didn't spend over two years trying to find you, only to take forever to _actually_ see you again." Wakka paused. "You missed her, ya?"

It actually took Tidus a few moments to reply, and when he did, his eyes avoided contact with theirs. "Of course, I missed her every second. But..." Tidus sighed. "There's something I want – no, _need_ to do first."

Wakka and Lulu shared worried looks. "What is it?"

"The Fayth," Tidus replied. "I need to see the Fayth."

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><p><strong>Well, whaddya think? I've actually had this written down for a few days, but I have this policy with writtenpublished chapters. I hope you like it; next chapter's the reunion!**

**It's a bit longer because of that, but I _do_ think that chapter's will get steadily longer as the fic goes on. This fic does have an orignal plot, however, with original characters. (A few.)**

**Thanks to the people who followed and favourited, and to everyone who read the prologue! Please do review, and tell me what you think, as it _really_ helps.**

**Chapter two should be be up soon, I promise! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	3. The Reunion

**THE REUNION**

Yuna barely noticed the rain as she landed on Besaid, easily catching herself as she fell to the ground. She dimly recognised that Rikku and Paine were following, one questioning the other, but found herself not caring; because _**he**_ was here. Bahamut had kept his promise, he'd brought Tidus back.

Tidus was back!

Her heartbeat quickened, but still Yuna walked – the village was close, and so was he.

"Wait!" Paine's voice followed her. "This... 'Tidus' looked exactly like Shuyin. Can we trust him?"

"Of course we can!" Rikku said. "Tidus helped us defeat Sin! He's nothing like Shuyin, anyway."

Now they were on the main path, but Yuna's speed only increased. She was so eager to see him, she simply ignored Paine's comments.

"But just because he helped you with Sin doesn't mean he's trustworthy. Didn't Maester Seymour help, too?"

Rikku, however, was most definitely _not_ ignoring her. "How can you say that?! Tidus and Mr 'Doesn't-Take-No-For-An-Answer' are _nothing_ alike! Seymour, as his nickname suggests, never listened to Yunie, always thinking he knew better. Tidus always expected 'no' to be the answer. Seymour would never accept death, we killed him, what, four times? But..." Rikku's voice changed, sounding much older than her eighteen years. "Tidus knew what was gonna happen, then just went ahead with it anyway. Tidus accepted his fate; which was something neither Seymour _or_ Shuyin could do."

Yuna had never been more grateful for her cousin than in that moment; Rikku had quite literally taken the thoughts from Yuna's mind. Paine didn't reply, perhaps sensing that this was a subject neither Yuna or Rikku would budge on, and instead asked a different question.

"Why did Wakka and Lulu say he's the reason for the storm? Does he control the elements, or something?"

"The last time he was here..." Yuna began, as they finally entered the village. "We got a full week of storms, then they suddenly stopped. Wakka found Tidus in the ocean the very same day. We thought Sin was going to attack – but he gave us something much better, instead."

The girls were silent as Yuna rushed over to the tent she'd seen in the Commsphere, only to be blocked by Lulu. Yuna immediately tried to go around the black mage, but was stopped when Lulu grabbed each of her arms. "Yuna,"

"Let me go!" Yuna said, trying to get free. "I want to see him!"

"I know you do," Replied Lulu, patience oozing from her tone. "But he isn't here."

Yuna tried not to sob, but tears still flooded her vision. "He's gone? Again? But, I..."

"No, no!" Lulu sighed. "He's in the temple. Wakka's with him."

"The temple?" Rikku repeated. "What's he doing in there?"

"Tidus... he, well, he wanted to see the Fayth." Lulu's red-eyed gaze flickered to the great stone building. "He said; 'I want to know if I'm still just a dream'." She placed a hand on Yuna's shoulder. "He wants to see you, but doesn't know if he can until he knows for certain."

Yuna clenched her eyes shut at Lulu's words, then turned on her heel. "If he's in the temple," she called. "Then I'm going after him."

"What?!" Three voices echoed after her. Yuna didn't listen to their further protests, instead climbing the steps and entering the archway opening.

"Yunie!" Rikku said, running around to face Yuna head-on. "You want us to stay out here, or go in with you?"

"Oh..." Yuna hadn't expected the question, but was glad it'd been asked. "Stay here, please. Tell Paine who he is, explain everything. I'll be okay."

Rikku nodded. "Yes, ma'am! Say hi to him for me!"

"Yuna," Lulu was still unsure, it seemed. "Are-"

"I have to see him, Lulu, in case he..." Yuna couldn't finish the sentence, or the thought that followed. "Please," she begged. "Let me."

And, thankfully, Lulu let her go.

* * *

><p>There was a hole. Not metaphorically – <em>there was a hole in his heart, split open in the echoes of time<em> – there was quite literally a hole. In the ground. Of the Chamber of Fayth. Did Tidus mention that there was a hole?"

He remembered meeting Valefor, the young Fayth that had resided here. She was only a child when turned to stone, and he recalled feeling quite sad at the revelation that the powerful aeon he'd often fought with was so young when she died. Valefor had, like all other Fayth, apologised for Tidus' status as a dream, and Tidus had, like he had with all other Fayth, shrugged it off. After their meeting, she'd protected him in battle more often, and he'd almost given his life to save her aeon, despite the fact she wasn't even alive.

It was... disheartening, to see her Chamber defiled in such a way. Tidus had wanted to meet her, to speak with her, to as why the Fayth had deemed him important enough to bring back, or if he wasn't a dream anymore. Wakka had, rather happily, told him that he was most likely here because of Yuna; she had saved the world _again_, apparently, and Tidus' return was her reward.

Wakka was still in the Cloister of Trials, however, standing guard; although, he had warned Tidus that, if Tidus were to disappear again, Wakka would make him wish he'd never returned. Tidus wasn't keen to see if he'd keep his promise, but neither was he keen to keep looking at that hole. As he began to leave the antechamber, he heard the door in the other room open, and let out a long sigh.

"Wakka, you've gotten paranoid." Tidus shouted out. "I'm not going anywhere, I-" The antechamber door opened, and Tidus began to raise his gaze from his yellow boots to - "Yuna!"

Her gasp filled the silence that followed, bi-coloured eyes wide and tearful. "Is it really you?"

Tidus didn't reply at first, simply taking her in; she looked so familiar, and yet so different. "I think so." He began to walk down towards her, eyes never leaving hers. "You look... good."

"I do?" Yuna asked. "I haven't slept in... I don't actually remember."

Tidus laughed at that, something so achingly _Yuna_ that it almost hurt. "Wakka said it's been two years, since we defeated Yu Yevon." He said, beginning the speech he'd prepared since waking up in Wakka's hut. Moving down the stairs, Tidus made sure to keep her gaze. "And I can't even begin to imagine what they were like for you, for Spira, because – well, honestly, it _wasn't_ two years for me. It was barely five minutes, and the only reason I'm here now, I think, is... Yuna, you whistled for me, and-" Tidus' heel slipped on the stairs, his attention solely focused on the woman before him, and he fell; tumbling down and scraping his skin on the marble as he bounced towards Yuna.

She reached forwards, as if to catch him, but wasn't quite quick enough as he landed with a crash at her feet. At first they were quiet, simply gazing at each other in mutual embarrassment, when Yuna let out a giggle.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, still chortling. "I'm so sorry, it's just..."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Tidus said, grinning up at her. "And here I had this big romantic speech planned."

"Really?" Yuna questioned. "I think I heard most of it. How did it end?"

"Help me up, and I'll tell you." Tidus' smile only grew as she did just that, pulling him up with relative ease. "Yuna, you whistled for me, and so... I fell down a flight of stairs, just like I promised."

"Smooth," Yuna noted.

Tidus gave a fake scowl. "Hey, I spent fifteen minutes working on that. You could at least pretend to like it."

"I did like it!" She protested. "I just hope you didn't have to strain too hard to come up with it." They both laughed at that, the thick tension between them slowly disappearing as the look in Yuna's eyes changed from teasing to tender. "I missed you."

Tidus' sigh seemed older than he was, and it echoed against her skin as he pulled her close, burrowing his nose into her hair. He took a small sniff, even the smell was the same. He'd missed it. Missed her. "I'm home now," He whispered softly.

"Welcome home," Yuna replied, closing her eyes. She could feel the beat of his heart, steady and normal, yet it amazed her to hear it. "Yes," her grip tightened. "_Home_."

Neither knew how long they stood there, caught up in the world created by their arms, but soon enough a voice cut through, loud and brash.

"Get a room, you two!"

"We had one," Tidus' reply was fast, and he barely paused in the soothing circles he rubbed into Yuna's back. She was crying, he knew, by the silent shake of her shoulders, but Wakka didn't need to know. "And who asked you?"

"You made it _my_ business when you fell into my arms earlier, ya?" Wakka snorted, but the man's tone was oddly soft.

"Well, it's not like I meant to; the first thing I remember is seeing your ugly face staring at me. Almost a big enough scare to send me right back to... uh," Tidus' face contorted into a frown, but it soon disappeared as Yuna – rather reluctantly, his heart noted – pulled away.

"It's okay," She said, still smiling through the tear tracks. "We can't stay here together forever. It sounds nice."

"It sure does." Tidus replied. His eyes never left hers, and he hesitantly stepped away. "Time to go out and face the music?"

"Rikku missed you," Yuna suddenly blurted out. "She told me to say 'hi' for her."

"She's here?" He asked, thinking of the small Al Bhed girl. "Can't wait to see her."

Yuna was silent. "Do you need more time?"

"No," Tidus answered, smiling reassuringly. "I'm good."

"Are you sure, though?"

"Yuna!" Tidus laughed. "I wanna see my friends."

"Well then," Wakka clapped his arms, obviously uncomfortable; for some odd reason, he always found himself the third wheel between them. Other than that time in Macalania, when Kimahri had returned frowning and muttering; apparently, Kimahri had never comforted Yuna in the way that Tidus did, and that Seymour tried to do. The Ronso hadn't understood, but _everyone_ else had. "Let's go!" They began to leave the room, Tidus' arm wrapped around Yuna's waist to keep her close, when Wakka let out a groan. "Argh, I left my fish at the beach."

"Fish?" Tidus repeated. "I've returned, and you're worried about _fish_?"

"Priorities," said Yuna, grinning.

Tidus' grip didn't lessen when they finally left the temple, in fact it might've tightened – the rain had stopped, although the sky still wasn't blue, but Tidus barely had five seconds to enjoy it before something small and blonde barrelled into him, squealing loudly.

"E lyh'd pameaja ed'c oui _(I can't believe it's you)_!" Rikku cried. "You're back!"

Tidus smiled as he hugged her, glad that she hadn't changed _too_ much. "Good to see you too, Rikku."

"Oh, it really is," she said, pulling away. "I told Yuna that she'd find you again, I did!"

"Real- is that a bikini?" Tidus shook his head.

"I'm eighteen, honestly, you're worse than Brother."

"I'm sure Gippal appreciates it," a voice said from behind Rikku; a young woman with silver hair and scarlet eyes. "I'm Paine."

"Nice to meet you. Who's Nipple?" Tidus asked.

"His name is Gippal, not-" Rikku groaned as he raised an eyebrow. "Oui'na ymm dannepma _(You're all terrible)_." She muttered, hanging so low her scarf touched the ground. "E ryda oui ymm _(I hate you all)_."

Tidus shrugged. "Dryd'c agyo. Fru'c Nipple _(That's okay. Who's Nipple)_?"

"You know..." Rikku sighed, straightening. "I'd forgotten you knew Al Bhed. Oh, poopie."

They all laughed at that, and it almost felt as though Tidus had never left at all; but the illusion was ruined by the gurgling baby in Lulu's arms.

Yuna cooed and moved towards him, pulling Tidus with her. "Aw, he's grown so much."

"Yes, I suppose he has." Lulu's expression was surprisingly warm. "Glad to see you're back. Again."

Tidus laughed nervously, scuffing his boot in the sand. "Yeah, sorry for rushing off like that."

"Which time, ya?" Wakka asked with a chuckle, patting Tidus on the back. "Wouldn't be the first time you staggered out of the ocean, man."

"But hopefully the last!" Rikku interrupted, bouncing wildly on the spot. Paine stood next to her, looking equal parts amused and annoyed.

But Tidus didn't want to think of that, and the memories it brought up, so he put on a fake smile and looked to Yuna. "We should throw a party."

"What?" She asked, surprised. "A party? Why?"

"I just came back after two years," Tidus explained. "That deserves a little ceremony, dontcha think?"

"We did just save the world, again." Rikku added. "That _definitely_ deserves a ceremony."

"Didn't we come here from Luca just to avoid the parties and ceremonies?" Paine pointed out. "If we want a celebration, let's just fly back; I'm sure we can still make it."

"Gippal wouldn't mind!" Rikku blushed as everyone looked over to her. "Well... he wouldn't!"

"I don't know," Yuna said, recapturing Tidus' attention. "It might rain again, and..."

Tidus pulled on her chin. "It's okay. If you're tired or something, I understand. I just thought it'd be fun, to catch me up on everything that's happened." A small smirk appeared on Tidus' face, and he sent a wink to Rikku. "Unless, of course, a party just isn't your style."

The jibe got the reaction he wanted from Yuna; she pouted, and pulled away. "I never said that! But the party might not want a party, and I'm sure that Lulu and Wakka-"

"Don't drag us into it," Wakka warned, pecking his wife on the cheek. "Besaid's always up to celebrate, ya? And we've got more reason now more than ever."

Yuna sighed, but the sight of Tidus, the feel of his arms around her, and the sound of his voice as he asked... "Okay, we'll do it!"

"We will?" Tidus' face was practically split open by the size of his grin. "Yes!"

"E ghaf Yunie fuimt lusa ynuiht _(I knew Yunie would come around)_!" Rikku cheered, doing a victory dance. "Brother and the others should come, from the Celsius! But not Leblanc!"

"Oh yes," drawled Paine. "I'm sure Brother would be ecstatic to hear about Tidus. He'll be so pleased that Yuna's got her man back, he might even _cry_."

Tidus was confused by that; he had only known Brother for a few short days, but he and the Al Bhed man had gotten on quite well. "Whaddya mean 'got her man back'?" He asked, instead. "Did Yuna mention me?"

Suddenly, it was as if he'd said a magic password or something similar; Yuna ducked her head, blushing fiercely, Wakka covered his chuckles up as coughing, and both Lulu and Paine rolled their eyes as Rikku squinted at him.

"Didn't Yuna tell you why she became a Gullwing?"

"Er..." Tidus glanced around, hoping that an answer would magically appear. Eventually, his gaze settled on Rikku's face. "I don't even know what a 'Gullwing' _is_."

"Yunie! You need to get caught up on a few things, mister." She said, cheerfully trying to wrap an arm around Paine's shoulders, who promptly pushed her away. "We, the Gullwing's, are the most awesomeistic group in Spira! We travel the globe, find-"

"-ing old ladies cats, and help them cross the street." Paine finished, looking as though she might fall asleep any second.

Rikku glared, and tried to continue, only for Yuna to speak instead. "We're sphere hunters," she softly explained, avoiding his eyes. "And also we save the world on the side."

It didn't occur to Tidus until much later that she hadn't sounded happy as she said those words; for the first time since he'd returned, Yuna was sad.

* * *

><p>The sun had set long before the time when Yuna finally stood from her position on the sand. The 'party' had died down, and now only a few still remained; Rikku and Brother were loudly arguing on the other side of the bonfire in Al Bhed, and Buddy was helpfully translating to a mildly interested Wakka ("Now what's she saying?", "Well, she <em>actually<em> just said 'I will pee on all the things you eat', which is an old Al Bhed insult.", "Ya?", "No."), and Shinra was playing a game of strip sphere break with Logos and Ormi – the two were down to their bare essentials, Logos' loincloth and Ormi's strategically placed shield, but the youngster was still fully clothed. Their boss, Leblanc, was happily informing the nearest person of her love life with Noojie-Woojie, in explicit detail. (The nearest person was Paine, who looked to be considering either suicide or homicide.) The reason Leblanc, Logos and Ormi was there was an odd one; instead of insisting they come to the party, _Cid_ had invited them. He'd mentioned that it was unfair that they stay on the Celsius, unsupervised, and that the sea air would be good for them. Cid himself had retreated to bed several hours earlier, stating that a man of his prime age needed his sleep to be so good looking. (Rikku had muttered about seven o'clock bedtimes.)

But the person Yuna wanted most wasn't there; she didn't know when Tidus had slunk off, only that his blond hair was now missing from the ensemble at the fire. At first, Yuna thought that perhaps he and Lulu had gone somewhere together to talk – for the black mage wasn't at the party anymore either – but then Yuna recalled that Lulu had retired several hours ago, along with Vidina.

Standing, Yuna shivered as she left the warmth of the firelight and entered the road that led from the village; she could quite clearly see boot imprints in the dried mud left by the earlier rainfall, which Yuna easily followed, even in the dim moonlight. There weren't many fiends on the trail, the storm having scared off most predators, and the ones that still remained were no match for Yuna's guns.

She was near the beach when she finally spotted him, heart rising in relief; she'd almost began to think his return was a fluke, and he'd vanished again, but her fear dissipated at the sight of his blonde hair, shining slightly.

"Hey," Yuna said, quietly approaching him from behind. Tidus turned to look at her, and smiled.

"Hey yourself," he murmured. "You okay?"

Yuna nodded, then shrugged her shoulders, embarrassed. "I'm okay, but when I saw that you were gone, I..."

"Ah, sorry." Tidus winced, and quickly turned away, admiring the view that the cliff offered. "I just needed some time to myself."

"I can go, if you-"

"No!" Tidus grabbed her hand, seemingly without noticing. "You can stay. In fact, I'd really like you to."

Yuna smiled at that, and sat down next to him. She kept quiet at first, perhaps sensing that even Tidus didn't know what he wanted to say, and kept her gaze on the stars. "It's pretty."

"You're prettier," Tidus replied, in a tone only she heard. "It reminds me of Macalania."

"Heh..." Yuna blushed as the memory flooded her mind, but kept her composure – what little she had – as she spoke. "I suppose I can see the resemblance. It does have that... appeal."

Tidus chuckled, and leant forwards, so his nose brushed her ear. "It wasn't the view that was appealing about Macalania. At least, not the view of the stars." And then, still laughing, he pressed a kiss to her neck and moved away.

Yuna's face quickly turned red at both his actions and his words. "You're terrible."

"Part of my charm," he replied. Then, after sighing, he continued in a much more sombre tone. "I just needed a minute for everything to sink in. I've been gone for so long and you... fought my evil twin."

"Shuyin's the problem?" Yuna asked, surprised.

"I suppose he is. Everything else is... not as important." Tidus frowned, and looked to her. "Was he much like me? Or was it just his face?"

Yuna shook her head. "No, it wasn't. His face was identical, yes, but so was his voice, his mannerisms, the way he spoke, the way he fought... honestly, in the end, it was only his name that was different, his clothes, and Lenne." She paused, considering. "Actually, his clothes were very similar too. His shoes were-"

"Let me guess, identical?" At Yuna's nod, Tidus let out a low groan. "Of course. And this 'Lenne' was..."

"The summoner he loved." Though she tried hard, Yuna could only grin at his second groan. "It's not that bad."

"Not that bad? My evil clone from a thousand years ago thought you were his dead girlfriend, and tried to destroy Spira!"

Yuna hummed. "Okay, so maybe it is that bad." Her heart ached at his defeated expression, so she leant over and pressed a relatively chaste kiss to his lips. "You might be similar, but you're _not_ Shuyin."

"Oh..." Tidus stared dumbly at her. "I'm not _entirely_ convinced... I might need more reassuring."

"You're terrible," Yuna repeated.

"Still part of the charm." Standing, he offered her a hand. "I can't relax here," Tidus told her, as she accepted. "I keep expecting Wakka to pop out and push me over the edge."

Yuna frowned. "Why'd you expect that?"

"It's a long story." Tidus explained, eyes fixed on the moon as he stepped near the cliff. "But... it _is_ beautiful here, I'll admit."

"Tidus..." Yuna began, hugging him from behind. "Did the Fayth tell you? If you're real now?"

He sighed, and dropped his head. "The Fayth... wasn't there."

"So, there's only one way to be sure." She squeezed him, before stepping away, to give him a good push over the edge.

Tidus yelled as he hit the water below, staring up at her as he resurfaced. Wiping the water from his eyes, he shouted up to her. "What was _that_ for?"

"You didn't disappear." Yuna explained. Tidus looked ridiculously good in water, and she decided that she needed to push him into pools more often. Taking a step back, she did a running jump into the water, landing near him. Flipping her hair, Yuna sighed. "Ah, it's nice."

"But... you..." Tidus could only stare. "You don't swim."

She could only giggle at his expression; he was short of openly drooling. "I learned. I can hold my breath for up to five minutes now! We entered the last blitz tournament, in Luca. Actually, we won the last blitz tournament, in Luca."

"You won at blitz?" Tidus snorted. "You're terrible at blitz; you screamed every time the ball so much as _looked_ at you."

"Well," Yuna began, a little offended. "I trained!"

"Really?" Tidus asked, swimming closer. "Show me. Can you _really_ hold your breath that long?"

Glaring, because she knew she was playing into his little game but not stopping because she _also_ knew where his game would lead, Yuna took a huge gulp of air and ducked under. Her hair floated around her face, almost like a halo, and the moonlight caused odd shadows in the water, but Yuna didn't have long at all to admire it, because Tidus had followed.

His lips moved hesitantly against hers, at first, before moving quickly and with more confidence. He – both literally and metaphorically – stole the breath from her lungs, and his arms held her against him. They broke the surface again, Tidus' chuckles echoing around as Yuna breathed in unsteadily.

He moved close again, after a few seconds, whispers falling across her skin like honey. "Now it _really_ reminds me of Macalania."

* * *

><p><strong>So, ta-da! They're finally together again, but will it be forever? Who knows?! I do, because I'm the author.<strong>

**Slightly longer this chapter, but the next one's even longer, so, y'know. Practice. The next one is _also_ the plot-beginner, so to speak, imagine this is recovering Yuna's garment grid, and Chapter Three is visiting Besaid for the first time.**

**Also, a _huge_ thank you to everyone who read, favourited and followed! And a special thank you to Speedythesloth and Ryan for reviewing; you made my day. Please keep reviewing, and tell me what you think of the story!**


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